The Call
by jazznsmoke
Summary: Song prompt based on The Call, Backstreet Boys given to me by Princesspears. It's a two-shot. Second chapter to come soon.
1. The Call

** The Call**

"Hey, baby, it's me. Can ya hear me? My phone's 'bout to die. Goin' ta a place near by with the guys. Gonna be late. Don't bother waitin' up." Merle looked at the little battery symbol in the top right corner of his phone as it blinked once and shut down, before putting it back in his pocket. Clubs weren't Merle's normal scene, preferring hole in the wall bars. He went along with the majority vote after a couple of drinks at their normal bar and went to the new club in town, The Singing Horse.

An unknown amount of shots were ordered at the club and drank by Merle and his friends, and as the evening wore on, the group became louder and rowdier. Merle's eyes continuously found themselves on a long legged brunette, wearing a miniskirt so short her ass cheeks were barely covered. Before long she noticed his appreciative glances and came over to him.

Her eyes were caked in eyeliner and mascara, a look that Merle, him self never cared much for, but in his drunken state, he couldn't find much fault in the look. It helped that her leather coat emphasized her boobs, drawing his eyes south again. "You like what you see, big man?" She purred, running her pointer finger against his cheek, and down to his chest, before laying her palm flat in the center of his chest.

He nodded once as she stood on her tiptoes, lips pressed against his ear, "I gotta little place nearby, wanna go?" Her breath tickling him.

"_I won't blackout  
This time I've got nothing to waste  
Let's go a little harder  
I'm on fire  
I won't blackout  
I'm on my way  
I'm only getting started_

_I won't blackout  
This time I've got nothing to waste  
Let's go a little harder  
I'm on fire  
I won't blackout  
I'm on my way  
I'm only getting started_

_This won't stop till I say so  
This won't stop till I say so  
This won't stop till I say so  
Going and going and going and going and go  
I'm only getting started_

_This won't stop till I say so  
This won't stop till I say so  
This won't stop till I say so  
Going and going and going and going and go  
I'm only getting started"_

The song playing in the background had her moving and gyrating her hips against him, waiting for him to respond to her, he didn't move nor did he dance with her. Instead he flicked his hand at the bartender, ordering another whiskey on the rocks and draining it in one gulp. The song ended, an electronic dance song blending into the finishing lines of the previous song. By the start of the next song he began dancing with her. He wasn't suave, nor the greatest dancer at the Singing Horse, but he moved seductively, almost as seductively as she did, rubbing her body up and down his, moving her ass against his crotch.

After that song she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then his jaw and finally a kiss landing on his lips. In the back of his mind he thought about the petite blonde waiting at home for him, but pushed the thought aside as another round of drinks were ordered by the brunette (Whose name he didn't know).

"I need a ride or die  
Type of girl who lie-likes to come in high  
Swing in the parking lot  
She tells me what she want  
I give her all I got

I beat it up  
I bang it out  
Until the sun comes up  
I bang it out  
_Until_ you scream, my love  
So tell me what you want  
You know what I want  
I give her all I got  
I beat it up  
I bang it out"

His thoughts went out the door when she ran her hand down chest and rested it on his crotch smiling at him coyly. He pulled her to him and kissed her, forgetting about Beth completely. He broke off the kiss and asked, "Ya said ya got a place nearby?" She nodded, pulling away from him, wrapping her arm loosely in his and leading him to the door.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a gaze filled with hurt and betrayal met him and the brunette at the doorway of the Singing Horse. "Excuse me, you're in our way," The brunette announced at the same time Merle pulled his arm away from hers, looking at the blonde in front of him.

"Beth...baby...I'm sorry." He reached a hand out towards her and she took a step backwards.

Before Merle could say another word Maggie Greene, her two best friends, Amy and Sasha, were flanking Beth and the elder Greene was in his face, blocking him from going to her, not that he actually made any move towards her. Beth pulled her sister out of Merle's face, quietly saying, "You an' me are done, Merle Dixon. I hoped the video Maggie sent me was faked somehow or she was just all over you, not you leavin' with her. Glenn will bring your belonging's to you." By time she finished speaking tears streamed down her face. Maggie wrapped her arms around her little sister, with Amy and Sasha standing close to them, as if they were guards, as Maggie led Beth out of the club.

The only thoughts running through his head were 'I'm sorry' and 'Shoulda said no,' as he watched her walk out of his life, in the biggest mistake of his life, the moment that changed his destiny.

A/N: This was a prompt done for Princesspears based on the Backstreet Boys song The Call. Hope you like this. Sorry it took so long!

There will be a second chapter for this, before too long.

The songs used were Blackout by Breathe Carolina and Bang It Out by Breathe Carolina.


	2. One Phone Call

**Well, this was a long time coming! It took absolutely forever to get this written and posted. I actually started this chapter about 10 different times and got pissed each time because I couldn't get it right. It's finally here, and I'm happy with the way this turned out. **

**The lyrics in this are to One Phone Call, by the Backstreet Boys. I still don't own any of the characters-just the scenarios that I throw them into. I don't own the lyrics to the song either. **

* * *

_Every single night like it's 25 to life_

_And this sentence I've been living is alone and unforgiven_

_And I'm guilty as charged 'cause I went and broke your heart_

_But even I've got rights, you're always gonna be my one_

If there was one thing that Merle Dixon was good at, it's fucking up. He had always fucked up in one way or another. It was just a part of being Merle.

He hadn't given a shit about fucking up before, but this was different. This took the cake. He actually regretted what he had done, a first for him.

He was on a dark and lonely road in his life because of what he had done. He had lost the only person who had loved him, aside from his little brother. Hell, he had lost one of two people that he loved, and even though his brother didn't hate him, he was still pissed at Merle for screwing up a good thing. Not that Merle could blame Daryl for being pissed. Not at all, in fact. He would react the same if their roles were reversed.

He was on his seventh month sober; he hadn't touched drugs or alcohol since that night. The urges to use were still there, but he managed to abstain. Withdrawal had been a bitch. Puking, shaking, hallucinations, the whole nine yards. But he did it.

He knew there wasn't a chance in hell she would ever take him back; but he kept the hope alive to get himself through. That hope was all that he had left.

Now, seven months clean and sick of living in cheap motels and doing odd jobs to keep food in his belly, he wanted to call her, see if that hope he had kept alive was worth anything.

He sat in front of the motel room's phone and stared at it. Was it worth it? Would she pick up? Could she forgive him? Was he worthy of forgiveness?

'No' played through his mind over and over like a broken record.

He huffed at himself in annoyance. "Pussy, pick up the fuckin' phone an' call. Ya ain't got anythang ta lose,"

He slowly hit the buttons for the phone number he knew by heart. Merle hesitated at the last digit before slamming his finger into it.

One…two…three…seven rings later and it went to voicemail.

"You've reached Beth's voicemail. I'm probably at one of my jobs, so leave a message and I'll get back to ya," Her musical voice hit his ears.

He listened to the beep and attempted to keep himself from stuttering like a school boy discovering boobs for the first time. "I been clean for seven months now, ain't used nothin'. I regret what I did ta ya an' I wish I could take it back; Keep from hurtin' ya like I had. I want ta apologize ta ya. I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry," By the end of his short message he was fighting uncharacteristic tears. He hung up with a heavy heart and moved to lay on the bed.

_Always be my one phone call_

_All I want, all I need is one phone call, I'm gonna leave my message at the tone_

_Begging, "Pretty baby please come home." 'Cause you're my one_

_Always be my one phone call_

He must have dozed off; He woke sometime later to knocking on the motel's door and his eyes gritty from the tears he had shed.

He went to the door, rubbing at his eyes as he went. "What the hell ya want, Dary-," He broke off as he pulled the door open, "Oh," His eyes traveled over the blue eyed, blonde angel in front of him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Daryl told me where I could find ya," She said after an awkward pause.

Speechless, he opened the door a little wider and stepped back. He couldn't take his eyes from her very pregnant belly.

"Can I, um, sit?" She motioned towards the bed.

He nodded and followed to sit down too.

"I got your message," She stated after she had gotten situated.

"I hoped ya'd listen an' not jus' delete it," he replied truthfully. His heart thudded painfully and all the hope he had kept left him as her pregnancy fully hit him. His eyes left her to stare at the floor.

_First time it rings I can't help but think of the first time I saw you_

_That moment I knew. Holding the phone tight, I hear the tone twice_

_If you just pick up, swear I can fix us_

Was this heartbreak what she felt when he had hurt her? If so, the guilt he already had went up another dozen notches. He couldn't bring himself to be mad that she had moved on and was obviously about to start a family.

"I listened. It's what finally convinced me to talk to you. Daryl tried to get me to, but I just couldn't,"

He nodded, completely mute.

"What ya did…I hated you for, I still do, honestly. But for whatever reason I still love you. Maybe its cause I got your baby growin' inside of me," She paused as he looked up. "I wanted to tell you that weekend when…but that happened. I couldn't trust you. I couldn't…wouldn't do this to our child."

"Mine?" He whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah, Merle, it's yours."

Once again he found himself speechless.

"I wanted to give you the chance to explain yourself and apologize in person, I want to give you a chance to be in your son's life, too."

"Angel," He started, "Ain't nothin' ta explain other than I'm a fuckin' worthless asshole that destroyed everythang good in my life. I fucked up, fucked up real good. Ain't nothin' I can do or say that'll change that an' fix it. I ain't touched anythang since that night. I'm sorrier than I could ever tell ya."

"Bein' an' stayin' sober is a good start to showin' it," She admitted.

"All I've thought about is gettin', stayin' clean an' how I fucked up,"

She was silent as she waited for the rest of what he had to say.

"I had some stupid fuckin' hope that kept me clean that if I did this ya might take me back, might at least forgive me, even if I don't deserve it."

"It wasn't a stupid hope, Merle. Ya know how I think you've changed? The old Merle never woulda hoped for something like that, much less admitted it."

"Nah, maybe he wouldn't, but it was stupid as hell ta think ya'd ever take me back." He conceded.

"Every day I wished that you hadn't broken my heart, that I would wake up next to ya, fall asleep to ya snorin'," She took his hand in her own. "I had hope too, ya know,"

He stared at her as if she had grown a second head, his heart hammering, "What did ya hope?"

"I hoped that the nightmare I was livin' would end. I hoped ya'd get clean. And that our son wouldn't grow up without a father. I hoped we would have a second chance."

"Was yer hope worthless?" He questioned. His throat felt dry as he waited for an answer.

"No, I don't think it was,"

He scratched his head and weighed his next words carefully. "Will ya, will give us, me, a second chance?" He took his hand from hers and tentatively placed it on her belly.

She smiled and he felt the breath leave his body at the beauty of it. Hope kindled inside of him as he waited with baited breath for her answer.

"Yes," Her response was simple. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Thank ya, Angel," He whispered finally, "I'm gonna do right by ya, by ya both. I ain't gonna fuck up again."

_So let me make my case_

_And pray you won't erase_

_The message that I'm leaving for you now_

_But if you do_

_At least you knew..._

_'Cause you're my one..._

_Always be my one phone call_

_All I want, all I need is one phone call_

_I'm gonna leave my message at the tone_

_Begging, "Pretty baby please come home."_

_'Cause you're my one_

_Always be my one phone call..._


End file.
